Vincent Bennett, Jr. Memorial Scholarship

Vincent Bennett, who passed away suddenly on September 19, 2013, was a Manager for Cisco Systems in Iselin, N.J. for 15 years, and an integral member of the NLEAFCF’s inaugural Hero Awards Gala committee. The gala was near and dear to Vince’s heart as he came from a family of first responders. He was a member of the National Sheriffs Association and an associate member of the International Association of the Chiefs of Police. In Vince’s memory, this scholarship will honor one exceptional freshman each year with a four-year award.

The Award

The Vincent Bennett, Jr. Memorial scholarship is awarded annually to an incoming freshman who is the child of a law enforcement officer or firefighter who was killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. This award recognizes financial need as well as academic achievement and candidate must show a strong commitment to service in the community. A declared major is not required, but preference will be given to eligible candidates who are majoring in the engineering fields.

The scholarship is a $20,000 award over a four year period ($5,000 per year). The awardee must maintain all academic eligibility requirements during the four years of the award.

PLEASE NOTE : Scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year have already been awarded. The submission deadline for 2015-2016 scholarship awards will be July 1, 2015.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be dependent children, stepchildren or legally adopted children of an eligible law enforcement officer or firefighter who was killed or totally and permanently disabled in the line of duty.

“Law enforcement officer” means an individual involved in crime control or reduction and who is directly employed on a full-time basis by a local, county or federal law enforcement agency, who is duly sworn and has full arrest powers.

“Firefighter” means an individual involved in responding to fire alarms, medical emergency and other calls to protect life and property, and to participate in fire prevention, training, and station and equipment maintenance activities fighting fires and who either volunteers for or is directly employed on a full-time basis by a local, county or state agency as a first responder to fires or medical emergencies

“Line of duty”means any action that an officer is obligated or authorized by law, rule, regulation, or written condition of employment service to perform, or for which the officer is compensated by the public agency he serves.

The term “killed in the line of duty” means a law enforcement officer or firefighter who has died as a direct or proximate result of personal injury or disease sustained or aggravated in the line of duty. This includes victim law enforcement officers/firefighters who, while in an off duty capacity, act in response to a law violation, or emergency threatening life or property, provided the government agency employing such individual certifies the death or disability as being in the line of duty.

The term “in the line of duty” shall also mean a volunteer or professional law enforcement officer or firefighter serving in reserve duty with the United States military forces and is killed or disabled in the line of duty in their capacity as a law enforcement officer or firefighter

The term “total and permanent disability in the line of duty” means an eligible law enforcement officer or eligible firefighter who has received an injury, sustained or aggravated in the line of duty, which renders them unable to work as a law enforcement officer or firefighter as defined and verified by their department.

Such injury or illness must have rendered the eligible officer or firefighter unable to work or earn money because the injury or illness is expected to continue indefinitely or result in death.

The applicant must submit a physician’s certification of the “total and permanent disability.” The physician must be a doctor of medicine or osteopathy who is legally authorized to practice in a state.

Applicant Guidelines

The applicant must have been conceived prior to the death or total and permanent disability of the eligible officer or firefighter.

An applicant who is an adopted child must have been adopted by the eligible officer or firefighter prior to, or the adoption process must have begun prior to, the date of the death or total and permanent disability.

An applicant who is a stepchild must have been listed as a dependent on the eligible officer or firefighter’s federal and state income tax returns in the income tax years immediately prior to the death or total and permanent disability.

Candidates must be pursuing a Bachelor’s degree, Associate’s degree, or Certificate at any accredited college, university or technical/vocational institution in the United States that participates in the federal financial aid programs offered through the U.S. Department of Education. Preference will be given to students pursuing their first degree or certificate.

Candidate must be enrolled as a full-time student during the entire academic year.

Candidate must maintain a 2.7 out of a 4.0 grade point average, or the equivalent as documented by the Office of the Registrar at the academic institution.

Candidate must be making satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of their program as defined and documented by the academic institution.

Candidate must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States attending school in the United States.

Current NLEAFCF officers and employees, and members of their immediate families are not eligible to apply.

Annual awards will be sent directly to the appropriate office of the recipient’s school by way of a check made payable ot the school on behalf of the scholarship recipient. The annual award will be distributed in two (2) equal payments – one for the fall semester and one for the spring semester. Disbursement of spring semester payment is contingent upon verification from the academic institution that the student has maintained the required GPA and is enrolled full-time for the spring semester.

PLEASE NOTE: To receive the second award disbursement, it is the scholarship recipient’s responsibility to submit an academic transcript (or other verification from the academic institution) no later than January 15th to the NLEAFCF offices verifying GPA for the semester just completed as well as proof of full-time enrollment for the current or upcoming semester. Spring payments cannot be made until such verification has been received by the NLEAFCF.